The present invention relates to an apparatus for transporting spinning tubes along a textile spinning machine for use in supplying empty spinning tubes thereto and removing fully-wound spinning tubes therefrom.
Spinning tube transporting apparatus of the aforementioned type are used in particular in textile spinning machines having spinning stations along each of two opposite sides thereof. One known apparatus of this type is disclosed in West German Patentschrift 502,149. In this apparatus, each side of the spinning machine is provided with a respective conveyor located above the machine spindles. Each conveyor includes a length of flexible chain and lengths of cable attached to the opposite ends of the chain, each conveyor being guided about a respective deflection roller at one end of the machine and having the cables attached to take-up drums mounted at the opposite end of the machine for actuating traveling movement of the conveyor. A plurality of hollow cylinders are mounted on each conveyor, alternate cylinders being open at each opposite end thereof and configured for supporting empty spinning tubes and intervening cylinders being open at only one end thereof and configured for supporting fully-wound spinning tubes. The take-up drums of each conveyor actuate conveyor movement in a reciprocal or oscillating fashion to execute a spinning tube replacement procedure, which disadvantageously requires a lengthy time interval and is inefficient in large spinning machines because the return portion of the reciprocal movement serves no function other than to return each conveyor to a starting position.
Japanese Patent No. 47-39740 discloses another known spinning tube transporting apparatus wherein an endless chain is provided for transporting empty spinning tubes and a conveyor belt is provided for transporting fully wound spinning tubes. A mechanism raises the fully wound spinning tubes from their spindles and deposits them onto the conveyor belt and then the same mechanism places empty spinning tubes from the endless chain onto the spindles. Because of the use of two separate conveyors, this known apparatus is both expensive and difficult to automate in design.
Swiss Patent No. 545,866 discloses another type of spinning tube transporting apparatus which utilizes a separate endless conveyor belt at each side of a two-sided textile spinning machine at a location above its spindles. Each of the endless conveyor belts are trained about a pair of deflection rollers located at opposite ends of the machine and are driven by a suitable drive unit. A plurality of fork-like gripper elements are provided on each conveyor belt at spacings corresponding to that of the spinning machine spindles, for grasping spinning tubes. In operation, fully wound spinning tubes are replaced by empty spinning tubes by moving each conveyor belt assembly toward the spindles so that the gripper elements are disposed adjacent the upper end of the fully wound spinning tubes thereon. The conveyor belts are then driven to cause the gripper elements to engage the spinning tubes, after which an associated raising mechanism elevates the conveyor belt assemblies to lift the fully wound spinning tubes from the spindles and the conveyor belt assemblies are then moved away from the spindles for removal of the fully wound spinning tubes. At the same time, the conveyor belts are driven to bring a supply of empty bobbin tubes, held by other gripper elements on the conveyor belts, into disposition over the empty spindles and then the conveyor belt assemblies are lowered to place the empty spinning tubes on the spindles. As will thus be understood, this mechanism is relatively complicated as a result of the various movements to which the conveyor belts must be subjected. Additionally, the procedure for replacing spinning tubes is relatively time-consuming since return movements of the conveyor belts performs no operating function. Further, the provision of separate conveyor belts for each machine side requires separate respective drive units and separate respective mechanisms for supplying and removing empty spinning tubes and fully wound spinning tubes to and from the conveyor belts. Thus, this apparatus is also expensive and difficult to automate.